Former Blue Shield California Leader Raine Arndt-Couch on Building Social Work Teams, CalAIM, & More
Release Date: 05/26/2026
Former Blue Shield California Leader Raine Arndt-Couch on Building Social Work Teams, CalAIM, & More
PopHealth Podcast
Raine shares about her journey as a social worker, including gaining her JD while winning runner up in the Ms. Hawaii pageant, starting as a frontline social worker in a hospital setting, to ultimately leading a social work team while building programs around the CalAIM initiative at Blue Shield California. Raine closes out the show discussing her next chapter and the start of her own consulting firm.
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U.S. VETS Inland Empire's Executive Director Nicole Starks-Murray: Breaking Ground, Steps for Vets
PopHealth Podcast
Nicole joins host Gavin Ward and shares about U.S. VETS recent groundbreaking of a new 30-unit community in San Bernardino as part of U.S. VETSs goal of eradicating homelessness among veterans. She also shares about the upcoming Steps for Vets 5k, honoring social workers, and recapping all of what U.S. VETS does for our veteran community.
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MedZed's Enrique Balaguer on Impact in California with Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports
PopHealth Podcast
MedZed's Chief Growth Officer Enrique Balaguer joins host Gavin Ward to discuss MedZed's impact as one of the largest enhanced care management and community supports providers in California.
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Riverside County Department of Public Social Service Leaders On Medi-cal Eligibility Changes in 2026
PopHealth Podcast
Riverside County DPSS leaders Allison Gonzalalez and Sandra Bowlan discuss some of the changes to Medi-Cal eligibility in 2026. They share what the nearly 1 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries in Riverside County (and similar to all CA counties) can do to maintain eligibility not just this year, but in the years ahead with the federal government's changes being phased in.
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Former CA Medicaid (Medi-Cal) Director Jacey Cooper on the Creation & Future of CalAIM
PopHealth Podcast
The former Medicaid leader for the CA Department of Health Care Services Jacey Cooper discusses the creation of the CalAIM initiative what she sees as the future of services like Enhanced Care Management, Community Supports, and more.
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Blue Shield of California's Julianne Holloway Explains DNSP, Medi-Cal (Medicaid) and Medicare Eligibility
PopHealth Podcast
Blue Shield of California's Julianne Holloway joins host Gavin Ward to help explain the often conplex world of DSNP, or Duals Special Needs Plans, for individuals that qualify for both Medi-Cal (known as Medicaid Nationally) and Medicare
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Pair Team VP Megan Carlson on How Her Team Enables ECM Services Via Existing Local Organizations
PopHealth Podcast
Pair Team VP Megan Carlson shares how her background in building care navigation systems (e.g. Unite Us) has equipped her to help Pair team enable existing organizations to launch enhanced care management services. Pair Team is now one of the largest ECM organizations on California.
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PopHealth Podcast Executive Producer Ryan Iwamoto Looks Back on 10 Years of the Podcast
PopHealth Podcast
Ryan Iwamoto, Executive Producer of PopHealth Podcast and Co-Founder of 24 Hour Home Care, joins the show to look back on 10 years of the podcast and some of his favorite memories as he reminisces with host Gavin Ward.
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California Association of Health Plans President and CEO Charles Bacchi- 2025 Realities, Upcoming CAHP Conference
PopHealth Podcast
Charles returns to the show, touching on his past as a soccer coach before sharing the realities health plans are facing in California. Charles also shares with host Gavin Ward about the upcoming fall CAHP conference, including how leaders from health plans, providers, and DHCS will be attending to present as well as network.
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Former DHCS Leader Athena Chapman and Elizabeth Evenson Provide an Update on Medi-Cal Transformation and CalAIM
PopHealth Podcast
Former DHCS leader Athena Chapman, President of Chapman Consulting, and Chapman's VP Elizabeth Evenson join host Gavin Ward to give an update on Medi-Cal Transformation/CalAIM, including touching on the 2024 annual report recently released by DHCS on Community Supports.
info_outlineRaine shares about her journey as a social worker, including gaining her JD while winning runner up in the Ms. Hawaii pageant, starting as a frontline social worker in a hospital setting, to ultimately leading a social work team while building programs around the CalAIM initiative at Blue Shield California. Raine closes out the show discussing her next chapter and the start of her own consulting firm.